Housefull 4 Trailer: The Reincarnation Comedy Is Yet Another Crass And Cringy Attempt At Making People Laugh

OK, we clearly need a moment here. The big Diwali release of the year, Housefull 4, starring Akshay Kumar, Kriti Sanon, Riteish Deshmukh has just come up with the trailer and there is just too much happening.

The film was initially helmed by Sajid Khan who has been directing the franchise since 2010. However, Sajid had to step away from the project owing to the accusation of sexual harassment against him at which point Farhad Samji stepped in to direct the film. Here are our takeaways from the trailer.

Unique Concept

To give credit where its due, a part of the film is set in the year 1419 and plays out like a period costume drama with another part being set in modern London. If memory serves us right, no one has ever attempted comedy in a period costume drama setting and that can be the USP of the film.

It Is A Bit Too Much

The film has put a lot on its plate and it will take a very skilled director, editor and screenplay writer to make it work. There are simply too many angles that range from reincarnation, period drama, modern-day relationships, wife confusion and it would not be able to converge all of this into a single thread that can be tied in the end. It is, honestly, simply too much to deal with.

Dated Comedy

Let’s not forget that this is the same man who gave us gems like Himmatwala and Humshakals. Sajid Khan’s sense of humor has never been the most refined one and this one just re-instates the same. The ‘naughty’ jokes because of the base execution just seem crass. While it might appeal to some, it would make a lot of people cringe as well. Also, we understand mindless comedies should be spared some political correctness but showing effeminate characters in a caricaturish way is one of the leading reasons why people so indiscriminately make fun of such people and make their lives difficult. From Johhny Lever’s drag act to ‘Phoolon phalo, koney mai to chalo’ has the potential to make your skin crawl.

Great Production Value

Again, to give credit where it due, the production value of the film looks simply amazing. From the historic part to modern-day London, it has the texture that is very visually appealing and it does not hurt that Akshay Kumar, Kriti Sanon, Riteish Deshmukh, Pooja Hegde, Bobby Deol, and Kriti Kharbanda all look drop-dead gorgeous.

Too Many Throwbacks And Inspiration

The trailer reminds you of too many things. There are scenes that are inspired by Game of Thrones, Baahubali 2 and throwbacks to Sacred Games and even the first Housefull film. While an inside joke like this can be quite cool in a self-aware comedy, we have bleak hopes about a Housefull film being able to tread that line.